Rising Tide Leadership Podcast

What happens when 12 kids get trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand — and the only way out is a team of strangers with completely different skill sets? 🌊 That's exactly where we're starting today. Mo and Scotty break down why the strongest teams aren't built on star power — they're built on knowing your people. We're talking DISC assessments, psychological safety, cross-training your team before...

What happens when 57 airmen — most with zero combat experience — are handed the keys to a top-secret mission and told to go start a war? 🛫 Col. Trey Morriss (USAF, Ret.) takes us inside DOOM 34, the once-classified B-52 strike that opened Operation Desert Storm — 35 hours, 14,000 miles, and enough things going wrong to make your head spin. 🎖️ From losing an engine minutes after takeoff to running...

What if the reason your leadership breaks under pressure has nothing to do with skill — and everything to do with your brain? 🧠 Claire Hayek grew up dodging bombs in Beirut, spent 20 years in high-stakes engineering, and discovered something most leaders never see coming: pressure doesn't just slow your decisions down — it quietly hijacks them. 🔥 As a certified neuroscience coach, TEDx speaker,...

He flew combat missions over Baghdad. He led a company through layoffs in the AI era. And he says the same three leadership principles got him through both. 🪖➡️ 💼 In this episode, Dr. Andy Moye — U.S. Navy combat veteran, former CEO of Paige (the first FDA-approved AI cancer diagnostic), and author of From Bunker Hill to the Boardroom — traces 250 years of his own family's military service to ex...

What happens when a 15-year-old kid skips high school, walks into a Michelin-starred kitchen, and decides that excellence is the only option? You get Chef Franck Desplechin — 25+ years of high-pressure kitchens, luxury hotel brands, and hard-won leadership lessons that most executives will never learn. 🍽️ Chef Franck gets brutally honest about ego, burnout, chasing titles over growth, and why your...

Most leaders think they need to become indispensable. Fredrik Sandvall says that mindset may be exactly what holds leaders back. In this episode of the Rising Tide Leadership Podcast, MO sits down with investor, entrepreneur, former Special Forces operator, UN veteran, and author Fredrik Sandvall for a conversation on what leadership really looks like when pressure becomes real. 💥 Together they u...

Ever feel like you're constantly adapting to everyone around you... but slowly losing yourself in the process? 🤔 In this episode of Identity & Influence, Scotty P and Mo tackle one of the toughest leadership challenges you'll ever face: relational adaptability. How do you meet people where they are without becoming a people-pleaser? How do you build trust, set healthy boundaries, and lead dif...

What happens when a leader realizes they’ve outgrown the room they’re in? 👀 In this episode of the Rising Tide Leadership Podcast, Scotty gets REAL about closing out 10 years at Indiana Wesleyan University and stepping into a brand-new season of life and leadership. 🎙️ 🔥 MO and Scotty unpack: 🚪 Necessary endings 🧠 Identity beyond job titles ⚡ Why role clarity matters 🔥 The danger of getting...

What if the biggest problem in your leadership… is YOU? 😳 In this episode, MO sits down with Croft Edwards to break down why culture isn’t something you fix—it’s something you embody. From the power of conversations to the surprising role your body plays in high-stakes moments, this one will challenge how you show up as a leader every single day. 🔥 If your team isn’t performing, this might be th...

Gen Z isn’t lazy—they’re just done with bad leadership. 😳 In this episode, we break down why younger employees aren’t chasing titles, why burnout isn’t a badge of honor anymore, and why your leadership style might be the very thing pushing great people away. 💥 If you’re still managing like it’s 2005, you’re already behind. It’s time to shift from control to coaching and start building leaders wh...

Jerry Goldstein has helped thousands of students and young professionals learn the “unwritten rules” of work—and in this episode, he is spilling the career tea ☕️ We talk about why talent alone is not enough, how to build confidence without arrogance, why relationships matter more than résumés, and how young leaders can stand out in a crowded world. Jerry also breaks down his VICC framework: Valu...

In this episode of the Rising Tide Leadership Podcast, MO and Scotty break down one of the biggest mistakes leaders make: assuming that clear communication is enough. 🎯 Just because people hear you does not mean they understand you. Great leaders know how to adjust their tone, pace, and delivery for different personalities without changing the message. From DiSC styles to real-world leadership ex...

Pressure doesn’t create your leadership—it reveals it. 😳 In this episode, Mo and Scott unpack emotional adaptability and why some leaders steady the room while others spread stress. From reacting vs. responding to trust, tone, and presence, this conversation will help you lead without blowing up your team. 🔥 🧠 If pressure exposes patterns, what is your leadership revealing about you? #Leadershi...

What if leadership isn’t about titles, success, or influence—but about how people feel after being with you? ✨ In this powerful conversation, Rabbi Daniel Cohen challenges leaders to rethink legacy, presence, and the daily choices that shape relationships. We unpack purpose, conviction vs. convenience, small acts of kindness, and why great leaders never confuse their role with their soul. This ep...

What if the biggest threat to your leadership isn’t your team—but you? 🤯 In this episode, MO sits down with Jesse P. Gilmore to unpack why so many leaders become the bottleneck in their own organizations—and how that quietly wrecks trust, momentum, and relationships. From single points of failure to sustainable leadership, this conversation is real, practical, and freeing. 🚀 Leadership question:...

New year, new goals… but will your leadership actually hold up under pressure? 🎯 In this episode of the Rising Tide Leadership Podcast, Mo and Scott dig into why adaptability starts with self-awareness, how pressure exposes your real leadership style, and why your greatest strengths might quietly become your biggest limitations. From real-life leadership moments to unexpected lessons, this conver...

Why do so many leaders start strong with goals—only to quit a few weeks later? 🤔 In this solo episode, MO breaks down why most goals fail and how leaders can build goals that actually last. Drawing from elite athletics 🏊‍♂️, coaching, and real-world leadership, this episode challenges you to stop taking huge bites and start making meaningful progress—one step at a time. Plus, MO shares the exact...

In this episode, MO sits down with global communication coach Amos Balongo to unpack why some leaders inspire action while others get ignored. 🚀 From connecting before you communicate, to eliminating blind spots, to building presence that actually lifts people, Amos drops practical tools you can use today. If your leadership isn’t landing the way you want… what’s holding you back? 🤔 #LeadershipP...

AI is changing leadership faster than anyone expected 🤖🔥—but what does that mean for YOU as a leader? In this episode, Mo sits down with Ben Perreau, founder of Parafoil, to explore how AI can improve self-awareness, strengthen teams, and expose blind spots we didn’t know we had. If leadership is about people, how do we stay human in an AI-driven world? Ready to find out? 👀 ✨ What part of lead...

What does real resilience look like in a world full of pain, trauma, and broken systems? 💥 In this episode, MO sits down with Matt Sandoval, CEO of Free Arts AZ, to explore how leaders can create safety, inspire healing, and build hope through creativity, mentorship, and compassion. 🎨✨ If leaders are supposed to “fix” everything… what does it actually mean to lead people who feel broken? 🤔 #Le...

December isn’t just the end of the year — it’s the truth teller of your leadership. 🎯 While most people check out, real leaders sharpen up. In this episode, Mo and Scott break down why December determines your influence, how to spot your hidden wins, and what your team REALLY experienced because of you this year. 💥 Ready for the question every leader must answer: Are you ending this year as the...

What happens when an Emmy-winning journalist jumps into fintech and starts rewriting the rules of leadership? 🚀 Tamara Laine joins MO to unpack grit, ethical AI, creative teams, and how leaders can thrive in a world that keeps changing. 💡 If your leadership model feels a little outdated… this episode is your wake-up call. Are you ready to lead the future? 🤔🔥 #LeadershipPodcast #TamaraLaine #Fi...

Consulting legend David A. Fields joins MO for a high-energy deep dive into trust, influence, and what it really means to be a right-side-up leader 🤯✨ From practical techniques to career-changing mindset shifts, this episode will challenge how you think about leadership, relationships, and the people you serve. Are you ready to flip your leadership upside-right? 🤔🔥 #leadership #consulting #inf...

What happens when a data-driven powerhouse learns to lead with heart? 💡 Join MO and leadership coach Krystal Clark as they decode emotional resilience, gratitude in leadership, and how to “embrace the code” between logic and meaning. 🔥 Discover why true leadership isn’t just about systems—it’s about soul. ❤️ So, can you really lead with both your head and your heart? 🤔 #LeadershipDevelopment #E...

What happens when a man faces death—and decides to live with purpose? 💡 In this episode, MO sits down with John Stewart Hill, founder of The Good Contractors List, who shares how a near-death experience transformed his life, business, and leadership. From rock bottom to building a nationwide movement of trust and integrity, John proves that real leadership starts with doing the right thing. 🙌 Wo...